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In case it wasn't apparent when you opened this, we're not in Kansas anymore. Not to besmirch Kansas, we'll leave that metaphor right there and carry on with plain language. Why did we move? Nazis, hate speech, and human rights — oh my! Sorry, I couldn't resist that one, but I'm done now. Time to get serious.
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I have left subst*ck. I lowercased it because they don't deserve the honor, and I added an asterisk as if it were a bad word, because it is. I only found out about their blanket tolerance of all things evil (Nazi) in December, but while digging into what was going on, I found out they've actually been like that for a bit, if not since inception, and I somehow missed it. I regret not looking into them before I initially jumped onboard.
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But I know now, and I cannot condone it. I can't continue to use the service knowing they have absolutely no problems with the sheer number of hate-speech newsletters they host. And I have to wonder how many they make money from.
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"Oh but what about free speech?"
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"Free speech" actually only means you can say what you want without retaliation "from the government" and no longer protects any "hate speech" that implies a true threat. Newsflash: Nazi propaganda and belief systems are a true threat. But the key everyone forgets when they cry Free Speech is that it protects you against the government. I'm not the government and I will not to listen to, approve, condone, dismiss, or ignore someone being this level of horrible, whether speaking for themselves or an entire platform (aka subst*ck's owner). So I deleted my newsletters and left.
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I had this image as an avatar on Facebook for a while. It felt right to pull it out and use it here...
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First it was the Wizard of Oz, now it's Jurassic Park, I have movie quote brain today and only partially apologize for that. One of the things that makes my newsletter different than the standard "news and announcements" posts on the site (now found under the NEWS tab) is that I get to be relaxed, human, and toss some casual language and essays around like I used to on my old blog.
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Yes, I stopped writing, googled, and photoshopped just to be able to put this picture!
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Anyway, this is where I landed after considerable research—back on the ol' DotCom. Oh there were contenders, but they either cost too much or didn't have the integration I was looking for. And then I thought, "well, the website has a blog on it," so I looked into that. And found the solution by sheer accident. A lovely plugin that sends the emails to each of you, but I host them and keep them, and there's no morally ambiguous 3rd-party to rely on.
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Which is why I said everything old is new again. This old website got a refresh, a facelift (after some sage advise from a mentor much higher than me on the totem pole of genre fiction), a couple things moved around within, and *poof* here we are, back where we started. (Well, not quite, that would have been MySpace and LiveJournal, but you get it.) The tabs? News is all things announcement and appearance. Press is interviews and other coverage from 3rd parties all put in one easy to scan page. And of course, Newsletter is this. Welcome to this!
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New Year, New Me. Or in this case, New Year, New Website, and New Newsletter! Spread the news. Share with your friends. Bring those who enjoy books and horror and opinions... *whispers* oh my!
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So that's it. I left subst*ck. Am I judging anyone who stays? No, but... While some may stay because they are not aware, or are not the type to generally speak out about hot topics, or whatever, it's their decision, but I have unsubscribed from them all and will no longer be receiving them, as I will have nothing to do with the platform. As far as those who beat their chest about every injustice that comes across their social media—those who cancel others for less (because Nazi rhetoric is not a little thing, it's a big thing, a dangerous thing)—yes, we all see you ignoring this and continuing to use the Nazi approved platform.
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Thanks for reading and remember, a current inventory of personalized, signed books available to ship (direct from me and shipped to you) is available.
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